Creed III is the threequel in the spinoff Rocky franchise. While the franchise has been, shall we say, rocky, the Creed series has generally managed to deliver a blow with each outing. This one’s pretty much the same old, same old, but it delivers just enough.
Michael B. Jordan returns as Adonis Creed for both in front of and behind the camera making his directorial debut. This third entry gives us more backstory into Donnie as we meet him back in 2002 when he was friends with Damian “Diamond Dame” Anderson, a Golden Gloves champion. Donnie encounters a man and proceeds to fight him while Dame ends up in prison.
Years later, Donnie retires from boxing to focus on his wife (Tessa Thompson) and his deaf daughter (Mila Davis-Kent). The scenes of Donnie and his daughter are really sweet, and they add a sense of poignancy.
Jonathan Majors stars as Dame, now released from prison and wanting to resume his career in the ring. However, his aggressive nature makes him a threat to Donnie’s colleagues and, eventually, Donnie himself.
After winning the heavyweight championship, Dame challenges Donnie to a fight. He also explores dark secrets that infuriate Donnie to the point where he has no choice but to fight.
This third entry still packs a punch despite checking off so many clichés of the boxing genre: The fighter retires to do something else with his life. He’s drawn out of retirement to face an old foe. He fights for his family, and there’s even a possibility that the mother may die. Normally, these clichés would seem contrived, but Jordan has a sure-handed touch when it comes to directing these scenes, and there’s enough momentum in the screenplay written by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin to keep it afloat.
Sylvester Stallone, who was in the first two Creed movies, is not in this one, but he stays on as producer, and we can see where the influence of the Rocky movies still comes into play.
Jordan and Majors deliver outstanding work as two friends forced to fight one another, but their backstories are fleshed out convincingly enough to the point where we care about who will win and if there will be anything left of their friendship.
Fans of the first two Creed movies will no doubt want to go another round as this franchise proves to have enough staying power with Jordan, Coogler, and their cast and crew. It’s a satisfying knockout.
Grade: B+
(Rated PG-13 for intense sports action, violence and some strong language.)
